A railway track is usually provided as a pair of elongate rails having a constant cross section. A train that travels over these rails usually has a pair of large diameter wheels connected by an axle wherein each wheel is located above each rail of the track. Each wheel usually sits on its respective rail so that a portion of the wheel overhangs the side of the rail providing a guiding means for each wheel on each respective rail. As the track curves in one direction, the overhang of one wheel on one rail will drag the train in the direction of the rail thus pulling the opposite wheel in a similar direction.
Most railway tracks will rest on a support bed such as a concrete base or alternatively timber bearers, and it is usual for gravel/stones to be located over the railway track area to protect the underlying bed surface and assist with drainage. However, when a railway track crosses a road or a pathway, it is usual for each rail to sit in a recess formed in the roadway/pathway. Because the wheels of the train overhang the sides of a rail, there is always a gap formed between the rail and the roadway/pathway surface material.
In the case of a roadway, this gap does not affect most users as most vehicles are able to traverse this gap without significant effects to their vehicle. However, in the case of a pathway, the gap formed between the rail and the pathway surface can cause problems for certain users, in particular, disabled or infirm persons. For example, a wheelchair usually has a set of main driving wheels together with a pair of much smaller support wheels. It is common for the small support wheels to become trapped in the gap formed between the rail and the pathway, especially when the user of the wheel chair is moving at a slow pace. If such a user is trapped in this gap and cannot get assistance readily, the user is liable to potential danger from an oncoming train. Similarly, a person who is on crutches can get the peg of the crutch caught in the gap which can also lead to further injury to the user by falling over. The crutch being caught in the gap can also cause problems for an oncoming train if it is left there.
It would be desirable to provide a solution that provides users of railway crossing pathways a safe mode of crossing a railway track without experiencing any of the problems mentioned above while still maintaining the performance requirements of the existing trains.